Using Templates: Recoloring Gray Scale Items, video

This is how I recolor assets in photoshop. There's no sound to the video, so I'll add some comments here.

1. Make a new layer over the gray scale item.

2. Fill the new layer with your desired color.

3. Right click on the color layer and choose "Create clipping mask." This will clip the color layer to the layer underneath.

4. Change the blending mode of the color layer. I usually use "multiply," but sometimes you need to double the color layer and use overlay and mutliply, lowering the opacity of both layers. It depends on the color you're using, as well as the gray scale item. Play around a little with the blending modes and opacity level until the color is as you like it.

Note: If the gray-scale item you're trying to recolor is too dark or too light, try this trick.

thank you SOOO much for this! Could the same technique be applied to colored items? Like an alpha or frame? I have a lot of standard textured frames that I'd love to recolor instead of buying the "blue" version for example.

Thanks for the tutorial and the tip! I started digital scrapbooking using Powerpoint which was, obviously, very limiting. I´ve just started learning Photoshop so that I can create better layouts and hopefully even try designing some assets myself. I have been avoiding templates as I wasn´t sure how to use them but with your tutorials I´ll definitely be gicing them a try.

Thanks Marisa. I was using Elements, if that makes a difference.. After the argyle layer there's a lime green layer with some kind of layer style in the template. I will try using a different style on the green circle.

Just got PS CS6 as I was using PSE 10. Still haven't learned that but decided that PS was more preferable. Have done recoloring but by trial and error. I appreciate the tutorial that spells it out in such a simple way! Thanks Marisa I will be using your tutorials a lot in the days to come!

OMG!!! I have been needing to learn this forever!!! The only issue I have is, I don't have the option of creating a clipping mask. I'm using PSE 7, but i just kind of skip over that step and it seems to work great:) Thank you so much